


To Whom It May Concern

by Beauxxxtiful_lies



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Songfic, Telepathic Bond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:42:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23894011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beauxxxtiful_lies/pseuds/Beauxxxtiful_lies
Summary: Whoever Daichi’s soulmate was, they had an affinity for music.That meant it was almost always running through his mind. Everything he did was to the backdrop of this soundtrack. Some songs he recognized, but others he knew for certain had come from his soulmate’s own hands. The melody sometimes peppy and feisty, or fierce and determined. But sometimes the notes that he heard were soft and longing. Those were the songs that made his heart ache.How much longer will he have to wait to meet them?
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Sugawara Koushi, Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Nametsu Mai
Comments: 64
Kudos: 239





	1. Carry On (or: Someday We’re Gonna Have It All)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Catastra_Fey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catastra_Fey/gifts).



> Hello darlings!
> 
> I hadn’t planned to share this for a few weeks, but I just can’t wait anymore!! 
> 
> This is a (very early) birthday gift for my dear friend Cat — The Queen of Songfics. Love you bby! It’s a short little chapter to start out, but I hope you like it! ( ˘ ³˘)♥
> 
> * * * 
> 
> There will be four chapters, and I’m aiming for weekly updates. 
> 
> A link to the song for each chapter will be in the beginning notes, and I will also hyperlink the first line of the song where it’s used in the story. 
> 
> Our first song:  
> [Have It All // Jeremy Kay](https://youtu.be/n6IiPnmBS7o)

Daichi loaded the last box into the back of his car, slamming the trunk closed and brushing the dust off his hands. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, unlocking it with his thumb to check the notifications he’d felt piling up over the last hour.

Suga:  
> MOVING DAAAAAY!!!!! o(≧▽≦)o  
> Just a few more hrs!  
> Can’t w8 to c u!!!  
> I’ll meet u there w/ muscles & pizza (^o^)v

You:  
< Muscles...  
< Glad to hear Asahi & Iwaizumi could make it after all  
< Tell them thx. Cya soon!

He chuckled to himself after typing out the quick response, slipping his phone back into his pocket and wiping his forearm over the sweat that had beaded along his brow. With his lips pressed into a thin line he looked back up toward his apartment, legs suddenly feeling very heavy at the prospect of having to carry him back up four flights of steps.

One last time.

He sighed, running a hand through his sweat-damp hair as he made his way up. Once inside he did one final lap, popping his head into drawers and closets to make sure he hadn’t overlooked anything. The place looked strange so empty. Not that he had a lot of stuff to begin with, but it was hard to believe that his entire life—the last three years of it anyway—could be condensed down into a truckload of beat up furniture and just a few boxes. It sure made moving easier, but it left him with too much time to think.

Standing at the threshold he felt a knot form in his throat. He swallowed hard, trying to suffocate it before it had a chance to grow into something bigger—though there was nothing he could do to stop the prickling behind his eyes or the flood of memories that hit him as he stood clutching the doorknob.

After all, this was his first place. A place that was wholly his own. Sure, the upstairs neighbors were noisy, and the heat would break in the winter, and one of the burners on the stove had stopped working just after he moved in and was never fixed. But it was also where he had spent his first days as a new teacher. Fresh out of college—young, hopeful, desperately terrified, and yet cautiously optimistic as he fumbled through the early days of his career.

He knew he had a lot to look forward to, but he hated the feeling that he was leaving something behind and closing the door on a chapter of his life that had meant so much to him.

He had made friends here. Guys he had met at the gym. Other teachers. But when he really thought about it...they were all more _acquaintances_ than friends. They had a good rapport. They could joke, and laugh, and share their successes with each other. He would join them for happy hour every now and then, and had built a really supportive network at school, but he still couldn’t exactly call them friends. Thinking back now he realized not a single one of them had ever been to his apartment. Which may have been his own fault for keeping people at arm’s length, but he couldn’t help it. He just never felt a connection to anyone here like he had found in his old friends.

It was part of the reason he’d applied to the job in Tokyo. His true friends—the ‘drop everything for you’ kind that would show up at your door at 2 o’clock in the morning just because you asked—or specifically if you didn’t ask, but just because they knew you needed them. Those friends had long ago moved to the big city, leaving Daichi behind. They all did their best to stay in touch, but it was hard given the distance.

That wasn’t the only reason he’d sent out an application though.

He was also pretty certain that his soulmate was somewhere in Tokyo. Each time he had visited the city—couch surfing between Suga and Asahi’s places—he felt that bond so much stronger than he did when he went back home to Sendai. Even though a new job in a new city would keep him busy it would help to know that his friends were nearby, and that maybe, just maybe, he stood a chance of finding his soulmate.

Not that he had any intention of seeking them out, necessarily. It _was_ possible. All that either of them had to do was sing a little tune with their contact information, and that would be it—the telepathic connection allowing you to hear whatever song or music your soulmate could hear or had stuck in their head—self written or otherwise. Plenty of people had found each other that way, sending each other messages and personal details set to a silly little jingle, but to Daichi that felt like cheating.

Fate had been kind enough to give him a soulmate. He knew that he’d meet them precisely when he was meant to. Apparently his soulmate felt the same, having never made a move to send Daichi anything more than words of encouragement through their connection.

Despite not knowing yet who the other one was, they were there for each other—as much as they could be. Sending along a gentle reminder that no matter how far apart, they were never alone. But _being_ this far apart meant that only their most intense emotions were broadcast through their link. That’s why, with a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes as he pulled his apartment door closed for the last time, Daichi wasn’t surprised to hear the low hum of a familiar voice wrap around him like a hug.

_‘[Some days I feel like crying](https://youtu.be/n6IiPnmBS7o). It don’t matter if it’s rain or shine.’_

A small smile pulled at the corner of Daichi’s mouth and he wiped the back of his hand over his eyes as he turned toward the stairs.

_‘I feel like my heart was broken at least a million times. Some days I wake up dreaming. Feels like I’ve never even woke. I answer life’s big questions as if it’s one big joke.’_

“You would,” he thought as he huffed a laugh through his nose. Daichi’s heart felt lighter with every step, and by the time he had dropped his key into the mailbox and slid into the driver’s seat of his car he felt like the violent roar of his worries and anxieties had dulled to a quiet buzz at the back of his mind.

_‘Maybe it’s too soon to be sure, but I really do believe that someday we’re gonna have it all. So I try so hard to keep the rhythm of a train. Rolling right along. When the ride gets rough you got to carry on.’_

With a deep breath and a determined grin Daichi gripped the steering wheel and rolled out of the parking lot toward his new life in Tokyo—leaving his reservations behind in the rear view mirror without a second thought.

_‘Carry on.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> I’ll be back next week with Chapter 2 - I don’t know how...
> 
> Until then come find me on Tumblr
> 
> [@beauxxxtifullies](https://beauxxxtifullies.tumblr.com/)  
> ♡ ♡ ♡


	2. I Don’t Know How...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo had a soft spot for the person he shared a soul bond with. He tried to support them when he could, but it was hard when their connection was so inconsistent. 
> 
> He almost preferred the quiet moments, when he didn’t have someone else’s music in his head and emotions in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucked this up when I posted it the first time, so sry if you saw that post & then repost. 
> 
> I’m just three raccoons in a trench coat masquerading as a tech savvy millennial (・_・;) 
> 
> * * * 
> 
> Starting this chapter with a few lines from our Ch1 song. [Have It All // Jeremy Kay](https://youtu.be/n6IiPnmBS7o)
> 
> The next song: [The Rush // JJ Wilde](https://youtu.be/mH7MEG764l0)

_“Some days I feel like singing. I sit back and just groove the day away. Maybe pick up a guitar, and play what I wanna play.”_

Leaned up against a brick wall, shoulders and the heel of one heavy boot pressed into the surface, Kuroo crooned the words to the song. He lifted his hand to his lips, a lit cigarette perched between his fingers, and took a long drag, holding the smoke in his lungs before tipping his head back and breathing out in a cloud that dissipated quickly in the morning air.

With his eyes closed and his face still canted toward the sky he drawled the next line in a low smooth hum.

_“Maybe it’s too soon to be sure, but I really do believe that someday we’re gonna have it all...”_

“Hey man! Is that a new song!?”

Kuroo cracked one eye open—the one not hidden behind the fringe of bangs that perpetually hung over his face—to find Terushima and Shimizu coming down the sidewalk toward him.

“Nah, just something I’ve been rolling around,” he replied with a lazy grin as he peeled himself away from the brick. He took one last drag, sunlight glinting off the stud in his brow and the piercings lining his ears as he turned to blow the smoke away from where his friends stood waiting.

“You guys ready?” he asked as he slung the strap of his guitar case over his shoulder and dropped the cigarette butt into a coffee can just outside the studio entrance.

“You bet! Just waiting on Nametsu and we’ll be ready to rock!” Terushima said with a little hop as he pumped his fist in the air.

“I’m here!” Kuroo heard from the street behind him. He turned around in time to catch the fourth member of their band jogging down the sidewalk toward them. “I’m here. Sorry if I’m late,” she said hiking her bag up and slowing to catch her breath.

“Not at all. In fact, you’re right on time,” Shimizu said with a smile as she reached out to take Mai’s hand, pulling her in to brush their lips together in a quick greeting that left both their cheeks tinged with pink.

“Ooh, me next!” Terushima teased, leaning toward them with his lips pursed in an obnoxious kissy-face where he’d paused to hold the door open.

“Ugh, hard pass,” Nametsu countered, dropping Kiyoko’s hand and shoving Terushima away with a palm planted squarely in the middle of his face as she moved past him into the building.

Kuroo propped him up with a hand on his shoulder when he stumbled backward, laughing at their squabbling as he held the door and pushed Yuuji forward. With a shake of her head Shimizu followed after Yuuji, a fond smile crinkling the corners of her eyes, and Kuroo trailed after letting the door swing closed behind him.

“Your song really was beautiful, Kuroo-san,” Shimizu said in a gentle voice as they made their way down the hall and past the front desk where Nametsu had just finished checking them in. She seemed to ponder her next words carefully, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear in a graceful motion.

“Was that for him?” she asked.

He thought about lying, but he always felt strangely protective over the songs he had crafted for his soulmate. Besides, judging by the way she asked, Kiyoko already knew the answer. He mumbled out, “Mmm—I think he’s having a rough day.”

“He’s lucky to have you, then.”

“Yeah, well...too bad it’s all bullshit,” he said running a hand through his dark disheveled hair.

It was a conversation they’d had many times before—he didn’t really know why he continued to deny the impact it had on him, at least to Shimizu. She always had been able to see right through him. She knew how hard it was for Kuroo to feel someone else’s emotions so acutely, but not be able to do anything about it.

Anything he did feel through his soulmate connection was so powerful at times that it was overwhelming. It would take him a moment to untangle his emotions and begin to piece together what was his and what belonged to someone else. The nerves and anxiety. The frustration and pride. The desire and longing. All the things that coiled tight and squeezed around his heart until he couldn’t tell the difference between what was his soulmate’s and what was his own.

He sang to his mate about hope, and love, and _someday_. Then he hid behind sharp grins and a sharper tongue—unable to allow himself to believe because out of everything the reminder that he couldn’t be there for his match right now when they needed him, or maybe _ever,_ hurt more than he cared to admit.

He almost preferred the quiet moments, when he didn’t have someone else’s music in his head and emotions in his chest.

With a shrug and a heavy sigh he said, “At least it seems to make him feel better.”

Kiyoko squeezed his arm, passing him a sympathetic look before sliding past him into their rented studio space where Terushima and Nametsu were already unpacking their gear.

“Why do you always refer to your soulmate as ‘him’?” Terushima asked suddenly, looking up from the kit set up in the corner of the room. “You’ve never met. So, like, how do you know?”

Kuroo sat his guitar case down, unzipping along the length and flipping the top open to pull out his instrument. “I have had his voice in my head for the past seven or eight years. I guess I’m making a lot of assumptions, but by now I’m pretty sure they’re a ‘he.’ Plus it’s just...a feeling, you know?”

He winced as soon as he said it. No, Terushima _didn’t_ know. He either didn’t have a soulmate, or his was so far away, the connection so faint, that nothing made it through. He never really let it bother him, at least outwardly; plenty of people never found their soulmate and Yuuji seemed content to take whatever life had to offer. Though, he had confided in Kuroo one drunken night that he sometimes had flutterings in his chest that he felt like didn’t belong to him, but they were always so faint he could never really be sure.

At any rate, Terushima didn’t seem fazed. He only laughed and said, “Oh, I just figured you were so gay the universe didn’t have any other option.”

Kuroo sputtered and tossed a guitar pick at his head. “False! I’m an equal opportunity lover,” he said enunciating each word with a flourish, looping his guitar strap over his head.

Nametsu laughed, straightening up from where she’d plugged her bass into the amp, still tinkering with the volume settings. “Yeah, you’d have to be to hook up with our little drummer boy.”

“Pfft—accurate,” Kuroo cackled.

“Hey! I didn’t hear you complaining before!” Yuuji shouted, shaking one of his drum sticks accusingly in Kuroo’s direction.

“Okay, okay. Clock’s ticking. You guys ready?” They’d been playing together for over a year now. Shimizu was well acquainted with their antics and she did her best to keep the group focused. “Kuroo I want to work on one of your acoustic pieces later if you’re up for it, but...” she stepped up to the mic and turned to them with a spark in her eye, “let’s start with the new one.”

Nametsu grinned, waiting to make sure everyone was warmed up and ready before strumming out a steady bassline. Kuroo joined in after a few beats, plucking out a few feisty notes before Terushima started tapping out a rhythm on the drums.

_[“I woke up this morning, in a panic.](https://youtu.be/mH7MEG764l0) I had my red dress on again. Last night I came out I was so damn manic. I don’t even know where I went wrong. But I went wrong.”_

It never would cease to amaze him how someone as soft spoken as Kiyoko could pick up a mic and sing their heart out the way she did. It was almost like she was another person out under the lights in front of a crowd, and Kuroo loved to watch that spark that he saw in her eyes burn so brightly under the spotlights.

_“And it’s times like these that I swear to God, oh that my mother can’t see me, and if she did I don’t know how I would keep it together. I don’t know how I would keep it...”_

Kuroo threw himself into his playing, losing himself in the music as his fingers flew over the strings. The beat and the bass thrumming in his veins, shutting out all other thoughts—of fate, and soulmates, and how very very unlikely it would be for him to meet his match—before his heart ached so much that it triggered pains in someone miles and miles away.

_“It’s the rush. It’s the lust. You can’t trust. It’s the rush. It’s the lust. You can’t...”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment — I’d love to know what you think now that we have Kuroo’s POV! 
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	3. Dear Whoever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no concept of consistent chapter lengths [and no regrets] (≧◡≦) ♡
> 
> This chapter’s song: [To Whom It May Concern // The Civil Wars](https://youtu.be/iQvqQbUT2Qw)

Daichi sank back into the couch, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table as the setting sun cast long shadows over the room. He smiled as he gazed around his apartment. It was finally beginning to feel like home. 

It helped that Asahi and Suga had shown up on his doorstep that morning with an armload of shopping bags, insisting that Daichi couldn’t go on calling himself a responsible adult if he was still living out of boxes and refusing to hang up curtains. 

“I’m...getting to it,” he had said as Suga thrust a steaming cup of coffee into his hands and shouldered past into the apartment, kicking off his shoes and immediately looking around to take stock of how much work there was to be done. Asahi smiled apologetically at Daichi as he followed Suga in.

“You know you guys don’t have to—”

Asahi looked back at him as he set his bags onto the little dining table in the corner of the room. “Daichi,” he said seriously, “you’ve been here for weeks. The new job is keeping you busy. Just...let us help.”

“Fine,” he grumbled reluctantly, shutting the door behind them. “What’s in the bags?”

“Don’t worry about it!” Suga shouted from the kitchen. 

“I’m an interior designer and you’re my best friend,” Asahi said glancing around the room with a look on his face that did nothing to mask how appalled he felt that Daichi had done nothing to make the dull grey space just a little more homey. “I can’t let you live like this anymore.” 

They set to work, Suga diving straight into the kitchen to organize drawers and cupboards—Asahi laying down throw rugs, hanging photos, and arranging bookshelves. Between Asahi’s design skills and Suga’s enthusiasm the three of them had made quick work of unpacking the last of the boxes and decorating the small space. 

When Daichi finally ushered them out that afternoon he was left with a stomach full of curry, an assortment of scented candles, a cute little potted plant he wasn’t sure he could keep alive, and a heart full to bursting.

He had been so nervous to uproot his life—afraid that even the proximity wouldn’t be enough to get him out of his bubble to connect with his friends. But he found that once he was there he slipped seamlessly into their lives. They met up regularly for lunch, and drinks, and movie nights. He was even getting closer with Suga’s boyfriend Iwaizumi after joining the gym where he worked as a personal trainer. 

All in all, it had been a good day. It had been a good couple of weeks to be honest—in no small part, thanks to his friends. So he wondered, as he melted slowly into his couch cushions, why he could feel sadness bleeding in through the edges of his newfound happiness. 

It didn’t take him long to recognize the feeling as more than just sadness—it was something like jealousy. A bitter loneliness that threatened to choke him if he focused on it too long. 

The best part of the move so far had been the realization that he had been right. His soul bond had gotten stronger over the past few weeks, but with that came more emotions transferred through their connection. It wasn’t just the strongest feelings that made it through anymore, it was _everything_. Every little feeling his mate had rippled through him and he was sure that they felt his just as powerfully. 

It was getting easier to piece out what was his and what was an echo, and it gave him hope that he would find his mate. Sometimes though, he wondered if they felt the same way. Even on his best days he felt an overwhelming sense that being _this close_ only made his soulmate feel worse because at the end of the day they were still so far apart. 

He could understand that feeling. There were moments when he felt a pull so heavy he was convinced that if he turned around he would see them, standing alone in the street and searching for him too. He longed to put a face to the voice in his head. To interlock his fingers with the ones that crafted such beautiful notes just for him. Daichi was tired of waiting, but deep down he knew that they would find each other. Someday. 

Until that day he would do what he could to remind his partner that he was there and waiting for them. 

He hummed out a few notes, relaxing back into the sofa and letting his eyes slip closed before singing in a gentle voice, just above a whisper, _[ “Why are you so far from me?](https://youtu.be/iQvqQbUT2Qw) In my arms is where you ought to be.” _

His soulmate didn’t miss a beat, jumping in to sing the next line, _‘How long will you make me wait? I don’t know how much more I can take.’_

It was _their song_. The first one they had written together. The one they sang to each other in their most desperate moments. Hummed quietly in the dark as Daichi settled into bed for the night, or plucked out over his heart strings by careful fingers while he imagined his soulmate wrapping their arms around him and slowly pressing their lips to his own. 

_“Slowly counting down the days ‘till I finally know your name.”_

They answered, _‘The way your hand feels ‘round my waist. The way you laugh. The way your kisses taste.’_

Just before Daichi’s 19th birthday the connection had gone quiet. It was normal for them to go days without hearing from each other, but it had been _weeks_. Long enough that Daichi was worried something had happened to them. 

When he finally felt that familiar tug on his heart and heard the tinkling of notes in his mind he sang out to them. 

_“I’ve missed you.”_

_‘But I haven’t met you,’_ came the teasing response.

_“Oh, but I want to. How I do.”_

Whoever they were, Daichi had learned quickly that they had an affinity for music. They turned the exchange into a song, adding on pieces here and there over the years, but the chorus always stayed the same. 

_“I missed you. But I haven’t met you. Oh, but I want to. Oh, how I want to.”_

When their bond had first manifested all he heard was a melody strummed out over guitar, but he had known for certain that it had come from his soulmate’s own hands. The tune was sometimes peppy and feisty, or fierce and determined. But the notes of this song, _their song_ , were soft and longing. It all at once soothed and made his heart ache for more. 

He wasn’t skilled like his soulmate and he didn’t particularly like his singing voice, but what he did have was words. Daichi would write, poems or quick lines that he set to the music in his head. No one else knew. It was something he saved for his soulmate—something only the two of them shared. 

Sometimes he would set a poem to a borrowed melody just so he could send it to his partner on those days when he could feel them _so strongly_ , feel their longing _so intensely_ that he felt like his heart would break in two. And sometimes they would send it back to him, set to a new melody that was all their own. 

Together they made music that was only for them. Music that tore them apart and mended them anew—that reminded each other on their toughest days: _I’m here. I’m listening. I’m waiting._

He wondered, as he felt himself drift toward sleep, how much longer he would have to wait to meet them.

*****

“Daichi!!!” Sawamura flinched, bracing himself just a split second before Sugawara crashed into him, knocking the breath out of him with a sharp chop to his ribs. 

“I can’t believe you’re here!!” he shouted as he pounced on Daichi, wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezing him in a tight hug. 

“Suga,” Daichi wheezed, struggling to stay on his feet as his friend hung off of him. “You’re the one who invited me.” Iwaizumi was grinning behind Sugawara, but flashed Daichi a sympathetic look over his shoulder. 

“Yeah! But you missed their last show. I can’t believe you’ve been in Tokyo for six months and you still haven’t seen Shimizu perform with her new band. Well, I guess they’re not _new_ anymore,” he said stepping back and looping an arm around Iwaizumi’s waist. “They’re amazing though. Hajime and I almost never miss a show.”

With an arm slung over his shoulders Iwaizumi pressed a kiss to Suga’s temple, “Our first date was to a Cats & Crows show.” He shrugged, “It’s kind of our thing now.” 

The way Suga looked up at his boyfriend had Daichi shifting uncomfortably in place. They were sickeningly adorable together—two halves of the same whole. He was happy for them, but glimpsing those intimate moments made something twinge behind his breastbone—acutely aware of his missing piece in those moments. 

Daichi shook it off, running a hand through his hair. He’d had a hard time focusing all day. He felt tingles, of nerves or excitement, he couldn’t tell, but he did his best to sweep it to the back of his mind. Saying a silent apology to his soulmate for the barrage of music they were about to hear as he followed Iwaizumi and Sugawara into the venue. 

They grabbed drinks from the bar and worked their way toward a spot near the front of the stage. 

“They always have an after party at their apartment after the show. You have to come with us! No excuses this time,” Sugawara said as the crowd filled in around them. 

“Okay,” Daichi shrugged. “Why not.” 

Before long the band took the stage and when they did Daichi was stunned. Shimizu looked so confident, striding out to take the mic under the bright lights. It was a far cry from the bashful girl he had known her to be in school. 

She was definitely dressed the part in dark ripped jeans and a graphic tee that hung off one shoulder. She had swapped her glasses out for contacts and her long black hair flowed out around her face. Daichi recognized Nametsu too, but she looked a lot different from their high school days. Since he had last seen her she had cut her hair into a short asymmetrical bob that sliced along her jawline. 

He didn’t recognize the drummer, but he definitely fit the part with an undercut and bleached hair and piercings lining his ears.

But out of everyone, he couldn’t take his eyes off the guitarist. 

Daichi could tell even from his place in the crowd that the guy was gorgeous. He was tall and lean, and the way that the muscles flexed in his forearm as he moved his hand down over the neck of his guitar made Daichi’s stomach flip. 

The ear Daichi could see was lined with piercings, just like the drummer’s was, and his messy hair hung down over one eye. He wondered briefly if that would affect his playing, but one look at the man told him that wasn’t likely. His guitar, a deep red marbled color with a sloping body and dark fretboard, looked like an extension of the man himself. Daichi didn’t doubt that he could play better with his eyes closed than most people could play at all. 

He watched the man grin at the crowd. Sharp. Dangerous. 

“Kuroo,” Sugawara said in his ear, making him jump.

“What?” 

Suga nodded toward the guitarist up on stage with a smile that made him look like he knew something Daichi didn’t, “His name’s Kuroo.” 

They started in on their set and from the very first note Daichi was mesmerized. He hadn’t heard them play before, but their music seemed so familiar. Sugawara had probably sent him clips from shows he and Iwaizumi had gone to, or recordings the band had done. It was odd that he couldn’t place it, but he tried to shake off that feeling and just enjoy the show. 

Halfway into their set it dawned on him. He _had_ heard those songs before—all of them—through his soulmate connection. The realization hit him like an electric shock. That meant his soulmate had to be a fan. They even knew the songs that Shimizu had called “old” when she spoke into the microphone before diving into the next one. His heart raced at the thought that his mate could be there in the same room right that minute and he found himself looking around the crowd for another set of searching eyes. 

But how would he find them here with everyone singing the same songs?

The band moved through their set list, and Daichi tried to calm his heart. He could still feel that prickling of anticipation at the edge of his consciousness and it seemed to only get louder as the show went on. 

“We have something special for you tonight,” Shimizu said as the colorful stage lights went low. “We have a new song by our very own Kuroo Tetsurou.” She extended her arm toward Kuroo who stepped up to the spotlight, swapping out his electric guitar for a black acoustic model. 

The crowd cheered as Kuroo leaned into the mic. “Just promise you’ll go easy on me,” he said with a grin as someone in the crowd whistled. “I’ve only ever performed this song for one person and he’s probably tired of hearing it by now.” 

The very first note Kuroo played hit Daichi like a bullet. It reverberated in his bones. His soul was threaded through with that note and every one that followed and when Kuroo opened his mouth and let the words pour out Daichi couldn’t breathe. 

_‘Why are you so far from me? In my arms is where you ought to be.’_

Shimizu stepped into the spotlight beside him, picking up the second line, _‘How long will you make me wait? I don’t know how much more I can take.’_

They sang the chorus, harmonizing together as the world around Daichi spun like a top.

_‘I missed you. But I haven’t met you. Oh, but I want to. How I do.’_

His heart was pounding so fast he thought it might burst straight out of his chest. He pressed a hand over his mouth, eyes wide as he felt the song wash over him and when Kuroo looked up into the crowd Daichi felt his eyes lock onto him. He panicked, pushing his way back through the throng of people before even signaling to Suga or Iwaizumi that he was going, stumbling into the bathroom at the back corner of the venue on shaking knees. 

“...mura? Sa….mura?” vaguely he recognized someone saying his name but he couldn’t focus on anything but the shaking of his hands and the pounding in his chest. “Hey, Daichi. You alright, man?” 

He looked up from where he stood clutching at the sink to find Iwaizumi staring back at him with concern etched across his brow. 

“Ah....n-no? Not really.” 

“Yeah, you look it. Do you want me to get Koushi?” Daichi blinked back at Iwaizumi, unable to even process the question let alone respond. “...I’m gonna go get Kou.”

“No!” Daichi snapped, sounding short of breath. “No, wait...just...shit, don’t tell Suga. He’ll just march up there and tell him in front of everyone.” 

“Okay,” Hajime held his hands up in a placating gesture and took a step back toward Daichi, away from the door. “Okay, we won’t tell Koushi. But you look like you’re going to pass out on me. Just...take a breath.” Iwaizumi took an exaggerated breath in and slowly let it out through pursed lips, breathing that way until Daichi’s shaky breaths matched his own. 

“If you can’t tell Kou, can you tell _me_? What do you mean he’ll tell ‘him’? Who’s ‘him’?”

“ _Him_ ,” Daichi said, gesturing vaguely toward the door, voice tight with emotion. “The...guitarist. He’s...That song they just played. Do you know that song?” Daichi asked suddenly, remembering what Suga had said about the two of them attending nearly every Cats & Crows show since the band’s inception. 

“No, I’ve never heard them play that. Kuroo doesn’t usually sing lead like that.” 

Daichi took a deep stuttering breath and rubbed one hand through his hair. “Iwaizumi, I think he’s....” he hesitated, unable to say the words out loud just yet. With a curse he spun on his heel away from Iwaizumi, pacing along the short row of sinks and turning back around when he reached the wall. “I’m the guy. The one he was talking about performing that song for. That’s…” he ran a hand through his hair, gesturing widely with the other. “That’s _our song_.” 

Hajime eyes flashed wide with understanding. “Oh, holy shit. He’s your soulmate?” he whispered as Daichi continued to pace back and forth in the small space. 

When he reached the wall a third time he leaned his back against it and slid down to the floor. 

Iwaizumi walked over to where he sat and slid down the wall to join him on the tile. “What are you gonna do?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Daichi sighed, tipping his head back against the wall. 

“You should tell him.” Sawamura looked at him out the corner of his eye without lifting his head from where he’d let it fall. Iwaizumi shrugged, “I’m probably not the guy to take advice from, but...did Koushi ever tell you how we found each other?”

Daichi shook his head no, “Just that you met on the subway.” He remembered Sugawara calling him after it had happened, but he was still so shocked and excited that he left out all the details of how they had figured it out. 

Iwaizumi hummed, “So, I was getting off the subway, right? And as I’m walking out through this mass of people I heard our song. It took me a minute to realize it wasn’t just in my head. I could _actually_ hear it. But by the time I realized where it was coming from the doors on the cars had closed. I turned around and I pounded on the window like a lunatic and he looked right at me. I knew in that moment that I couldn’t let him go. So,” Iwaizumi laughed and leaned his head back against the wall, “I ran.” 

That made Daichi lift his head and turn to him with confusion written over his face, “Wait, you did what?” 

“I fucking ran. I sprinted. All the way to the next station on the line, and _I made it_ just as the doors opened up. And I’m panting and dripping sweat, and I come sprinting into this subway car like a madman...and there he was. He looked right at me, and instead of calling the cops like he probably should have, he smiled like he already knew why I was there.”

Daichi smiled and shook his head. That didn’t surprise him in the least. Sugawara had never been one to shy away from things that would send most other people running. 

“I asked him across this train car full of people, ‘Where did you hear that song?’ And he goes, ‘You sang it for me.’” 

“In hindsight there were probably a lot of things I could have done in that moment, most of them a lot less crazy than what I did. But from where I’m sitting you only have two choices. One, you assume he’s not your soulmate and he just picked that song up somewhere else. Or two, you get your ass off this disgusting bar bathroom floor, and you go out there and meet your destiny, because if you don’t you’ll wind up regretting that choice for the rest of your life.”

Daichi huffed a laugh. A mixture of disbelief and excitement finally sinking in through the panic. “You know Iwaizumi, I didn’t peg you for the sentimental type.”

“Yeah, well,” he groaned as he peeled himself off the floor, turning back to offer his hand to Daichi, “you can blame Kou for that.” He slapped him on the shoulder as he dusted himself off. “Now, let’s go get your guy.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I saw a video of a guy who left a camera on the subway & then ran to the next stop to retrieve it from the car. Can’t find it now, but that was the inspiration for IwaSuga’s confession. 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜


	4. I Missed You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a little while to shake this chapter out, BUT the plus side is that today is Cat’s birthday!! I hope you have a wonderful day babe, because you deserve it! (And I really hope this chapter makes up for poor Daichi’s bar bathroom panic attack) <333
> 
> I originally had a different song planned for this chapter, but The Civil Wars grabbed ahold of me and wouldn’t let go. 
> 
> Our final song: [Tip Of My Tongue // The Civil Wars](https://youtu.be/IHQk6TgkZ38)
> 
> (≧◡≦) ♡

Kuroo’s hands were shaking as he burst through the access door and into the alley behind the club. He clasped them behind his head and let the cool night air fill his lungs. When that didn’t work to calm his racing heart he reached for his cigarettes. 

_Fuck_ —what a disaster. He never should have agreed to sing one of _their_ songs, he thought as he paced the narrow alleyway. He never should have offered in the first place. Kuroo had never done that before—had never performed one of their songs for anyone other than his soulmate, or maybe Shimizu during practice, but that was different. 

He had woken up that morning with a voice in his head telling him that today was the day, and for some inexplicable reason he listened. But gods, why did he have to pick _that song?_ The cadence of his heart stuttered out of time.

His hands were shaking so bad he couldn’t get his lighter to work. He cursed, tipping his head back in frustration before the lighter was plucked out of his grasp. Kuroo looked back down as Terushima snatched the cigarette from his lips and wrapped his own around the filter, lighting it and pulling the smoke into his lungs before handing it back. All before Kuroo could even think to ask him what he was doing. 

He offered a half-hearted “thanks” as he breathed deep, letting the burn in his throat and lungs ground him as the tendrils of smoke curled around his head. 

“Want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?” Terushima asked, taking a few steps back to lean against the side of the building.

Kuroo let his breath out slowly through pursed lips. “No, not really,” he said, dropping down to perch on an upturned crate at the drummer’s feet. 

“Well, too fucking bad.” Terushima leaned down and took the cigarette back. “I know it’s about soulmate stuff.” 

Kuroo narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to respond, but before he could Terushima cut him off, “You know you don’t have to hide that shit from me.”

Taking his smoke back with a huff, Kuroo replied, “That’s awfully serious to be coming from you, Yuuji.” 

“Fuck you, man. I can be serious sometimes. Besides,” he kicked at the asphalt with the toe of his sneakers, “if it’s important to you...then it’s important to me.” Before those words could really sink in Yuuji used that same foot to kick Kuroo in the calf. “Now spill. What’s your deal? ‘Cause you’re bumming me out.” 

Kuroo sighed, hanging his head and running a hand through the short hair at the nape of his neck. “I think I fucked up.” 

“Whaddaya mean?”

Kuroo tried to gather his thoughts enough to explain. He had been so anxious leading up to the show, knowing what he planned to do. He thought that after he got it out he would feel better. Whenever he sang that song his partner always chimed in, and he could feel his heart swell at the emotion that poured through their connection. But this time was different, and it scared the hell out of him. 

Instead of calm, his discomfort only felt amplified. His heart pounded so hard in his chest that it was hard to keep the quiver out of his voice to even finish the last verse. 

Maybe his soulmate knew that Kuroo had sung it for someone else. Well...not exactly _for_ someone else, he could never do that, but _to_ someone else. Maybe that had upset him.

The connection had gone quiet since then except for the low hum of tension vibrating under his skin. It didn’t feel like anger, but he couldn’t put a finger on what it was—anxiety, nerves, anticipation? Part of him wanted to reach out and check in, but a bigger part of him was afraid that somehow his soulmate knew and was upset that he had shared something that was supposed to have been just for them. 

That thought was enough to make his chest ache. 

Terushima sank down to the pavement, flicking the lighter— _on, off, on, off—_ eyes focused on the little orange flame in his hand as he brought it to life over and over. Kuroo hadn’t realized he’d started talking until Yuuji interrupted him. 

“Listen,” he said suddenly, startling Kuroo out of the depressed spiral he was sinking into. “There’s a difference between singing _to_ someone, and singing _for_ someone. Every single person in that room tonight knew that even though you were singing that song to us, you could only ever sing it _for_ one person. If he can’t understand the difference...enough to be upset at you over it...then he doesn’t deserve you.” 

“Yeah, but...he’s still my soulmate?” 

“Which means what exactly?” 

Kuroo gaped at him, but...Terushima did have a point. He hated how uncertain his own words sounded in his ears, but he found himself unable to conjure up an answer in that moment that didn’t feel like it belonged in some bullshit fairytale. 

“No one belongs to anyone. You know how I feel about this shit. And, sure, maybe I’m biased. But you can’t wait around forever for something that may never happen,” Terushima said, tossing the lighter back to Kuroo. “I’m not telling you to give up on him, but just...stop stressing over something you have no control over. Just live your life, man.”

Kuroo tipped his head back, breathing out the last of his cigarette with a heavy sigh before crushing the butt under the heel of his boot. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“You’re damn right I am! Now, that’s enough serious talk for one day. Let’s go help the girls pack up,” Yuuji said, standing from the pavement and offering Kuroo his hand. “We’ve got a party to get to.” 

*****

It’s a lot easier to stop worrying when you have a distraction and, Kuroo decided as he tipped a bottle of beer to his lips, parties are a great distraction. He mostly kept to himself as he watched people mingle around the apartment—drinking, and dancing, and catching up with friends. 

He probably didn’t know half the people who were there, but Kiyoko and Nametsu seemed to know them so he didn’t mind. The beer was cheap, but that didn’t matter either. At least he could pretend that the fuzzy feeling in his limbs was from the bubbles over his tongue, and not because of the anxiety that still clung to him like a static-electric charge. 

Terushima was right. He shouldn’t spend so much time thinking about his soulmate. Especially considering he had all but given up hope that they would ever meet. He still felt like he should reach out to check on him or apologize, but the way his thoughts were still bouncing around he didn’t trust himself not to mess things up even further. 

Not that it really mattered, he told himself as he swallowed down another mouthful of shitty beer. The apartment door opened again, and Kuroo made a move to head that way until he saw Shimizu swoop in to greet their new guests. 

Sugawara was stepping through the door and wrapping his arms around Kiyoko before Iwaizumi was even out of the hallway. All at once Kuroo felt relieved to see some friendly faces join the crowd before yet another unfamiliar face followed them through the door. 

Kuroo found himself unable to look away as he watched the stranger embrace Shimizu in a tight hug. Something about him seemed familiar, but Kuroo couldn’t recall ever meeting the man—and there’s no way he’d forget someone like that—all firm muscle, and tanned skin, and… 

Kuroo squinted in the low light...were those dimples? 

Maybe he worked with Iwaizumi at the gym, Kuroo mused as he raised his beer to his lips, watching the way the guy’s shirt stretched over his broad shoulders. He certainly had the body for it. Still, it struck him as odd. Shimizu wouldn’t greet just anyone like that.

He felt his heart lurch in his chest just as the newcomer looked his way—that same knuckles scraping over bone feeling he’d had when he stood under the spotlight and stared out into the crowd. His soulmate. What a time for him to check back in, now that he was finally starting to move past his shitty day.

Kuroo took a deep breath and another sip of his drink, pressing that feeling to the back of his mind. _That,_ he decided, _is a problem for another day._

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye and stuck his arm out, clotheslining Terushima with his bicep and almost knocking him on his ass as he tried to rush past toward the kitchen. He looped his arm over his friend’s shoulder and leaned into his ear without taking his eyes off the group near the door. 

“Hey, do you know that guy Shimizu is talking to?” 

Terushima laughed, “Damn man, you recover fast.” 

“Shut up. I just need a distraction, and those thighs are _a hell of a distraction_.” 

Terushima flicked his eyes toward the doorway in an attempt at subtlety—which was only slightly undermined by his raucous laughter as he tried to squirm away from Kuroo’s hold. “Don’t know him,” he snickered. “But good luck!” 

“I don’t need luck,” Kuroo turned his attention toward Terushima with a grin he knew made most people weak at the knees. “You know I can charm the pants right off of him.” 

“Pfft! _Okay,_ so should I tell him how much of a dork you are _now_ , or should I save that for later?” Terushima sputtered with laughter as he ducked out of Kuroo’s grasp. “Oh, but I guess he’ll find out for himself if I wait.” 

“H-hey!” Kuroo sputtered as Yuuji fled into the kitchen, cackling as he darted around the other party guests. He scoffed, shaking his head at Yuuji and turning his attention back to the mystery man. 

He watched him as he moved through the room, dragged from group to group by Sugawara, who very animatedly introduced him to everyone. Kuroo hung back—didn’t want to seem too eager, he told himself. It had nothing to do with the strange feeling he had every time he heard the other man’s laugh over the stereo, or caught a pair of wide brown eyes glancing his direction. 

He had to have been imagining it, but Kuroo swore that he could feel those eyes on him every time he looked away. Huh...maybe he wasn’t the only one who was eager. 

Kuroo watched him from the kitchen doorway, waiting until Sugawara had dragged Iwaizumi into the corner where some of the furniture had been moved out to make space for a dance floor, leaving their friend alone on the periphery. He took a deep breath and crossed the room, two uncapped bottles of beer in hand, sidling up to the man as he held out the offering with the most charming grin he could muster.

“You looked a little thirsty,” Kuroo said with a wink in response to the raised eyebrow he got from his admirer. 

The man’s cheeks flushed instantly and he reached up to cover the back of his neck with his free hand. He cleared his throat and mumbled a soft “thank you” as he looked away, ignoring the obvious innuendo. 

_Oh wow, that’s…too fucking cute,_ Kuroo thought to himself. “I’m Kuroo, by the way.” 

“Yeah, I ah...I know. Caught the show earlier,” he said by way of explanation. “Sawamura Daichi.” 

Kuroo clinked the neck of his bottle against Daichi’s. “Nice to meet you,” he said as he settled against the wall next to the man and tipped his bottle to his lips. 

“So, Sa’amura...you know the two lovebirds then?”

“Which ones?” Daichi asked, looking toward the living room where Suga was now straddling Iwaizumi on the couch, hands and mouths exploring far past what was acceptable for public. Shimizu and Nametsu weren’t much better, swaying off beat in the corner, slow dancing to a song that no one else could hear. 

Daichi cleared his throat, turning away from their friends with a rosy blush painted across the bridge of his nose. He flustered so easily and it made Kuroo feel weak at the knees wondering how far down that blush could go. 

“Anyway, yeah. Suga, Shimizu, and I all went to high school together. I guess I knew Nametsu then, too. They were both managers for volleyball club. Found each other at one of the practice matches between our teams.” 

“Wow. Small world.” Sawamura gave him a questioning look. “Oh, I played too. In high school, anyway. It’s been a while.”

“There’s a group of us that meets every couple weeks to play. You should join us sometime.” The offer sounded casual enough, but Daichi firmly avoided Kuroo’s eyes as he said it, like he was nervous for his reaction. 

“You know, I just might take you up on that Sa’amura.” Daichi looked up at him then and smiled, showing off the dimple in his cheek, and for the first time all day Kuroo realized that the storm in his heart had gone quiet. 

Daichi was still pointedly trying to ignore the steamy make outs happening just a few feet away, and though he was probably used to Iwaizumi and Suga by now, and Kuroo was enjoying how flustered it made the other man, he didn’t want him to be _that_ uncomfortable. 

Kuroo nudged him with an elbow, nodding toward the balcony door and Sawamura followed him without question. He left the sliding glass door open just a crack so they could still hear the music playing inside. 

They both leaned against the railing, slowly sipping at their drinks as they talked about volleyball, and their friends, and whatever other topic came to mind—“ _Why would a school teacher need thighs and biceps like that?!”_

“Oh, I don’t know. Sure seems to keep the troublemakers in line.” Daichi had grinned at him with an expression so full of mischief that it was all he could do to hold back from testing that theory...or testing out how strong those arms actually were. 

The conversation slowly dwindled until they were both standing quiet and looking out at the sparkling city lights. It should have been awkward, the silence that settled over them, but Kuroo found that he felt comfortable in a way he never had in the presence of someone he should consider a stranger. 

He had all but forgotten his mission to “charm the pants” off the gorgeous man. Daichi was just easy to be around, but, Kuroo guessed, of course it was easy to just _be_ when the person you were with didn’t really know anything about you. 

“Not a lot of stars here in the city, huh?” Daichi asked, finally breaking the silence. His low voice sent a tremble through Kuroo’s core that he tried to hide with a sigh.

“Nope,” said Kuroo, bumping his shoulder against Daichi’s and flashing him a sharp smile. “What’s the matter, country boy? You miss them?” 

Kuroo felt his ribs squeeze around his heart—a pang that didn’t belong to him. His eyes trailed along the strong line of his jaw as Daichi angled his face up toward the midnight sky. “Yeah, I do,” he said wistfully before tipping his face toward Kuroo with an equally sharp smirk, “city boy.” 

Just then, that feeling from before hit him again full-force—it was like having the wind knocked out of him. His fingers tightened around the balcony railing and he tried to swallow around the ache in his chest. Kuroo blinked his eyes a few times, trying to press that feeling back, but when he opened them he saw Daichi’s own eyes widen. 

He spoke before he could second guess himself. “Are you sure we’ve never met? I just...you seem so familiar.” 

“You know,” Daichi said, focusing his attention on the nearly empty bottle in his hand as he swirled the liquid inside. 

Kuroo vaguely registered a few notes plucked out in his mind and he did his best to ignore them as he waited for Daichi’s answer. His heart was thundering in his ears and he had no idea why until Daichi turned toward him. 

“It’s on the tip of my tongue,” he said, warm brown eyes peering up at him through dark lashes and, this time, _really_ stealing his breath away. 

_‘The tip of my tongue?’_ he thought. 

Suddenly the melody in his head got louder, and that spark of recognition flared into something as bright as the stage lights that had blinded him when he had looked out toward the crowd earlier that night.

“C-can I show you something?” Kuroo kept his reaction mostly hidden, except for the slight stutter as the words caught in his throat, but Daichi’s expression softened like he could hear all the panicked thoughts pinging around Kuroo’s skull. 

He smiled and nodded, following Kuroo back inside—through the living room and down the hall away from the party without another word. When he reached his bedroom door Kuroo opened it wide, not bothering to usher Sawamura in before crossing over to tug at the drawstring of his desk lamp—illuminating the room in a soft yellow light. Daichi stepped over the threshold and closed the door softly behind him.

“So...this is my room,” Kuroo said with a sweeping gesture toward his bed and closet on one side. “And sort of my studio,” he nodded toward the other side where his guitar sat near the bookshelf. 

The wall on that side of the room, between the bookshelf and his desk, was plastered with scribbled notes and sheet music—stuck up with thumb tacks and bits of tape. 

Most of it was for songs that he shared with his soulmate. He liked to have his notes nearby in case inspiration struck, or for those times when his partner would share a new verse with him. 

It also helped to have it all spread out in front of him when he was attempting to set his soulmate’s words to one of his own melodies. Over the years, that translated into him pinning his notes to the wall to keep them handy and he just never stopped.

“Are these your songs?” Daichi asked, moving toward Kuroo without taking his eyes away from the wall. He could tell by the tone of his voice that Daichi didn’t just mean _Kuroo’s_ songs _._

A few corners of sheet music waved at them—jostled by the flow of the air conditioning. Kuroo nodded his head slowly, unable to speak as he tried to gauge Sawamura’s reaction.

“Will you sing one for me?”

He wet his lips with the tip of his tongue, swallowing past the dryness in his throat. “What do you want to hear?” 

“How about one you’ve never shared with anyone else?” There was a clear challenge in Daichi’s words, and in between the hope and the disbelief Kuroo felt a rush of boldness. 

“Hmm, I _could_ do that,” he crooned. “But something tells me no matter what I chose you already know all the words. I’d much rather hear you sing me your favorite.”

He couldn’t read the expression on Sawamura’s face, but the other man held his gaze. Kuroo watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat before he heard the same tinkling notes that he had heard play in his mind as they stood together on the balcony. 

_[“You’re a red string tied to my finger.](https://youtu.be/IHQk6TgkZ38) A little love letter I carry with me.” _

Daichi started off a little shaky, but there was no mistaking that voice—like honeyed whiskey, rich and deep with a hint of sweetness that hummed through Kuroo’s veins.

“ _You're sunlight, smoke rings, and cigarettes. Old lines and kisses from silver screens.”_

Daichi kept the melody playing in his head and feeding straight into Kuroo’s as he let each word slip from his tongue.

_“Oh dear, never saw you coming. Oh my, look what you have done. You’re my favorite song. Always on the tip of my tongue.”_

Before he could start the next verse Kuroo backed him against the wall, caging him in with his palms pressed flat on either side of his head. Sheet music— _their music_ —fell from the wall, lyrics and notes cascading down around them. 

He leaned in and hovered over Daichi’s mouth, shuddering as the other man’s breath ghosted across his chin. He trailed one hand down the side of Daichi’s face, feeling his skin flush hot beneath his touch.

In a voice far steadier than what he thought himself capable of in that moment, Kuroo sang the next line. 

_”You own me with whispers like poetry.”_ He dragged tentative fingers over Daichi’s cheekbone, down to trace along the curve of his lip. _“Your mouth is a melody I've memorized.”_

 _“Mmm. So sweet,”_ Daichi hummed, lips brushing against Kuroo’s fingertips and sending sparks up his arm. 

_“I hear it echo. Everywhere I go day and night.”_

Kuroo couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He sang the next words carefully, tasting each one as it rolled over his tongue. _“Oh dear, never saw you coming. Oh my, look what you have done. You're my favorite song.”_

Daichi settled his hands against Kuroo’s waist, urging him forward with a gentle, but insistent tug of his hips. 

_“Always on the tip of my tongue.”_

They sang the last line together, sharing the same breath as they whispered the words into the half step between their lips. Their faces canted in a silent question, and disbelief gripped Kuroo like a vice until Daichi tipped forward to slide their mouths together. 

In the space between two notes Kuroo pressed back, surging forward to meet Daichi in a rhythm that felt as natural as breathing. But _of course_ loving Daichi was as easy as breathing. 

The steady beat of his heart pounded out beneath Kuroo’s palm, the sweet whisper of breath against his lips, the electric hum of need pulsing through him—he realized in that moment it was a song he knew by heart. One that he had known since he was 18 years old and the first borrowed chord had sounded in his mind. 

He didn’t realize he was crying until Daichi pulled back to brush the tears away with the pad of his thumb. Kuroo had all but given up. Good things didn’t happen to him, and it wasn’t a stretch to imagine that fate would be cruel enough to tempt him with a soulmate that he never had a hope of meeting in person. Or worse, one that had no desire to ever meet him in person. 

He thought he’d lost him before they had even found each other. 

But there was no question about who this man was as he smiled up at Kuroo, soothing him with trembling hands. 

He closed his eyes, leaning into Daichi’s touch and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I thought you were mad at me.”

He tapped his forehead against Daichi’s and their noses brushed together softly when he shook his head. “No. You just surprised me.” 

They didn’t need more words—Kuroo could feel it all through their connection—Daichi was a bright light that cast away every shadow of doubt that lingered in his heart. 

He couldn’t believe that he had ever felt grateful for the silent moments. He didn’t ever want to feel that absence again, and when Daichi pulled him in with a hand at his nape he knew that he felt the same.

Kuroo cupped his face in his hands, tracing patterns along his hairline with the tips of his fingers until they both had to pull back for air. 

“Hey,” he whispered, smiling against Daichi’s mouth.

“I missed you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [~*~*and they lived happily ever after*~*~] ＼(*T▽T*)／
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> I’m thinking of turning this into a series, because now that I’ve finished Terushima’s story is _begging_ to be written. (That, and my lizard brain kept trying to throw smut into this rated-T story...Idk about you, but I need a sexy follow-up.)
> 
> Until then, drop me a comment or come find me on Tumblr!
> 
> [@beauxxxtifullies](https://beauxxxtifullies.tumblr.com/)  
> ♡ ♡ ♡


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